Of the Angels
by Elvendorked
Summary: "She, Thalia Grace, stuck at 15 years and 364 days. It was so ironic that she could almost laugh. Almost." Thalia only has eyes for one boy. She watches him grow up. But that is all she can ever do: watch. An angsty Thalico one-shot, complete.


**A.N. This is also Chap. 3 of my story 'Instinctual.' Somehow, it didn't really fit with the series though, so I decided to also post it separately instead.**

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><p><em>"Age does not protect you from love but to some extent love protects you from age."<br>__—Jeanne Moreau_

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><p><span>Thalia<span>

She watches him. She watches the boy grow up, physically and mentally, until he is the same age as her now. He is taller, more manly, but underneath, he still has the same irresistible boyish charm.

And it is this irresistible charm that becomes her downfall. She watches, from her place at the edge of the forest, where the soft lining of grass blends in with the trees; she watches as he falls over from the force of a water jet, laughs, and sends an army of dead back at the son of Poseidon. On any other day, she might have enjoyed their antics, but today was different.

Her face is full of anguish and regret as she watches a girl drag him away from his group of chuckling friends and take him towards the woods, not far from where she is, in fact. The girl, upon close inspection, is not unlike Thalia herself, with her long, dark hair and light-coloured eyes – daughter of the love goddess, no doubt – and as she speaks softly to him, he cracks a smile. Something in Thalia's gut twists, but she is not quite able to place the feeling, or at least she is not willing to admit what it is.

The girl, the _other _girl, keeps talking, but something has changed. The boy looks confused at the girl's request, his normally pale pallor darkens to a shade of red and he shakes his head. He grins awkwardly and shoves his hands into his pockets, sheepish. But the girl does not want to take 'no' for an answer and eventually – Thalia cannot _bear_ to look – the girl steps closer to him. A lot closer.

And Thalia simply cannot take it anymore. Cannot take this pretty girl, with her angelic curls and too bright eyes, being closer to _him_ than she ever would, cannot take the way she is looking at him, the way she is _touching_ him and suddenly—

_Zap!_

The girl cries out, shocked (in both senses of the word), her hair smoking and her clothes singed but seemingly okay. She stomps her foot and glares. The boy looks as confused as she does, especially when the other Grace shakes his head and looks up at the sky, worriedly.

The son of Hades glances around, his eyes stopping at where Thalia herself is hidden and her breath hitches and– _oh Gods_, he could not have _possibly_—

His eyes widen and he mouths her name ever so slightly and her heart stops. _Oh Gods._

But then the moment is over and the boy just blinks hard, shakes his head and smiles reassuringly back at the girl in front of him.  
>And Thalia just <em>cannot take it anymore<em>, so she melts back into the shadows and she runs.

She runs faster than she ever has before, grateful to the wind for whipping her hair back and taking her tears. She runs back into the real world where it _does_ rain, back into the real world where the crown on her head reminds her of who she is, back into where she belongs. And it is in the rain she cries.

"_Why?" _she asks herself. Her face turns towards the sky, her domain, _"why me?" _she asks, aloud this time and she is not even sure who she is asking anymore, herself or those above. The twilight sky provides no answer but simply pours more water onto her face and stares back at her, blankly. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hoots.

She is upset, and she is confused. Confused as to why she feels this way, confused as to why it is _him_, of all people. And she is also scared. Not that she would ever admit it out loud of course, but yes, the daughter of the king of the Gods, is scared of these new feelings bubbling inside of her, threatening to take over her at any moment, and like a volcano, just as powerful.

She is well aware of the fact that she will never turn sixteen. Never have her first kiss; never experience the same things that other teenagers undoubtedly will. Today may be her birthday, but unlike any other person's, it is not filled with happiness, joy and hidden laughs. Instead, it is filled with a million '_what ifs'_ and bitter, ironic thoughts.

Thalia Grace, stuck at 15 years and 364 days. She could almost laugh. Almost.

She breathes in deeply and sighs. But being the strong person that she is, Thalia pulls herself together and wipes away her tears. She takes in one last shuddering breath and then her breathing returns to normal, slightly quicker, but normal.

The rain stops.

Thalia is _still_ upset and _still_ confused, but she tells herself to _get it together_, before she does something else she will regret. Thalia pushes down the guilt she feels, ignores the nagging voice at the back of her mind that is constantly chanting _his_ name, and walks.

The others shoot her quizzical looks when she returns but she plays dumb and camps in her tent, alone. And even though she knows deep down the _real_ _reason_ why she feels this way about him, the _real reason_ for the sudden flow of emotions, her more dominant half denies it, the excuse for her actions today being only the fact that he is her family. After all, family always look out for each other…right?

The memory of his face, complete with his dancing eyes and his cheeky grin, is the last thing Thalia sees that night before she falls into a dreamless sleep.

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><p><em><strong>Fin.<strong>_

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><p><strong>-I would be so incredibly grateful if you could give me your thoughts. Please.<strong>

**~The Moonlit Waters.**


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